Flying doesn't get much love these days, and that's especially true for Spirit Airlines.

Passengers complain about delayed and canceled flights, poor service, uncomfortable seats and extra fees for nearly everything including a cup of water.

The airline ranked last, for the third year in a row, in The American Customer Satisfaction Index's 2017 survey. And video from Monday night's brawl involving stranded passengers at Spirit's Fort Lauderdale ticket counter, after multiple flights were canceled amid a labor dispute with pilots, has not helped its image.

On a quick turnaround from Bradley to Orlando and back last week, I encountered a fairly uneventful trip — and it's hard to beat Spirit's prices. But the reality is that if you don't do your homework in advance, you're likely to be in for a very bumpy ride.

Let's start with the positives — what you will get on Spirit are low fares, often extremely low fares, on most routes. My round-trip flight, non-stop from Hartford to Orlando, flying Thursday and returning Saturday, purchased a week before travel, came in at $138. (In comparison, similar flights on Southwest were $389 and Jet Blue were $468.) For that price, I got a seat, (location assigned by the airline), and could bring what Spirit calls a "personal item" (think small tote or backpack) that fit under the seat in front of me. Staff was polite and helpful; planes were clean. My flights left and arrived pretty much on time.

What you won't get — without paying extra — is anything else, and that's no hyperbole. Everything, including checked or carry-on luggage, in-flight refreshments, purchasing tickets by phone, choosing your seat and even printing your boarding pass at the airport, will cost you. (In fairness, many other airlines charge for checked bags, choosing your seat, making ticket changes and buying tickets by phone.)

Spirit's carry-on luggage rules are confusing to the uninitiated. That standard-size, carry-on suitcase that most other airlines let you bring on board at no charge is not free on Spirit; it costs more to carry on than to check a bag. If you plan to tote your own suitcase, be sure to prepay for that option, preferably when you purchase your ticket. (You can add in a luggage option anytime before travel, but prices rise the closer you get to check-in.) Whatever you do, don't show up at the gate with a suitcase that hasn't been paid for in advance. It will cost you as much as $100.

Forget to print out your boarding pass before you leave home and you'll pay $10 to print it out at the airport. Additionally, the airline has no mobile app, no in-flight Wi-Fi or entertainment, and charges for food and drink on board, even water. (A passenger on one of my flights became incensed when told a soda would cost him $3.)

According to seatguru.com, Spirit's aircraft features seats with 28 inches of seat pitch — the least amount of space of all U.S. domestic carriers. Oh, and seats don't recline.

Spirit has several routes, including Hartford, with just a single daily flight to its destinations, which means fewer options for re-booking than on larger airlines with more daily flights. If you miss your flight or your flight is canceled, you may not get out until the following day.

Spirit calls its prices, "Bare Fares with Frill Control," a system that lets customers pay for only the extras they want.

"Once consumers understand how our a la carte model works, they love us," says Paul Barry, Spirit's director of corporate communications. "Our seats are a little tighter. You pay for what you want and nothing else. Other airlines build the costs of those 'free' services into ticket prices. We don't."

He may be right. Spirit is one of the country's fastest growing airlines, popular with college kids, families and seniors who like the bargain prices. Spirit's loyalty program, the $9 Fare Club, which has an annual membership of $59.99, offers members discounted fares and cheaper bags.

Barry says comprehensive information is on spirit.com, on the "Spirit 101" page. Trouble often comes when customers book on third-party sites that may not outline the extra fees.

That's what happened to Krista Parks, who was flying with three friends from Orlando to Hartford.

"We booked on Expedia and didn't know until after we booked that we had to pay for seats if we wanted to sit together, and pay for our carry-on bags," says Parks. "It ended up costing us an extra $50 per person."

Tolland resident Kimberley Nowik, who was flying Spirit for the first time, was caught off guard by the extra fees.

"My ticket turned out to be more expensive than I thought," says Nowik. "After I paid for my bag, which ended up being overweight because Spirit's limit is 40 pounds, not 50, and paid for seats, it ended up costing me more in the long run. Live and learn."

"I didn't like how they hit us with all the extra fees," says Ryan McEachern, a Shelton resident who ended up paying $45 for a carry on and $14 for seat selection each way. "I'd was annoyed. I'd rather know up front what a ticket is going to cost me."

But many passengers more familiar with the Spirit model, like Orlando resident Ruth Stuckey, are fans of the low-cost carrier.

"I like Spirit. I've flown them in the U.S. and to the Caribbean. I don't care if there's no snacks, I bring my own and I really don't care where I sit. If I want to carry on or check a bag, I'll pay for it, it's still going to be less than most other airlines," says Stuckey. "Their prices are great. I'm thrilled they're flying to Hartford. I'll be able to fly back and forth more often to see my grandkids."

Be sure to print your boarding pass at home; printing at the airport will cost you $10.

There's no in-flight Wi-Fi or entertainment on board Spirit plane. Bring a book or magazine.

There's no free beverage or snack service. Coffee or tea is $2; soft drinks, juices and bottled water are $3. Beer and wine are $7 and a Bloody Mary, gin and tonic or other cocktail will cost you $10. Snacks range from $3 to $7.

Want an aisle or window seat, a seat next a traveling companion or one of Spirit's "Big Front Seats"? (Big Front Seats are wider, have more leg room and are in the front of the plane). It will cost you anywhere from $1 to $199, depending on the flight length, which seat you choose and when you book it.

You can bring one small personal item, but it must meet specific size requirements. Toting your own suitcase on board will cost you. Fees depend on where you're flying and when you prepay for the luggage. Show up at the gate with a carry-on that you haven't already paid for, and it will cost you as much as $100.

Spirit Airlines offers one daily flight to and from Hartford to Orlando, and a flight to and from Hartford to Myrtle Beach on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. (Service from Hartford to Fort Lauderdale will begin on June 15.)